The present invention relates to a device suitable for the storage of image-bearing media, in particular cards such as baseball, football or other sports cards.
The growing popularity of collecting and trading sports cards has resulted in a significant increase in the value of many cards, such as cards depicting Baseball Hall of Fame inductees, or rare cards depicting obscure players. Consequently, the need has increased for means for protecting cards, in particular the corners thereof, from damage. Protection of cards from excessive exposure to air is also desirable in order to prevent, e.g., yellowing.
Numerous devices for displaying and protecting cards or other image bearing media are known. Card holders are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,691 and the references cited therein. Display devices for displaying multiple image-bearing media such as cards, photographs and the like are revealed, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,439.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,691, to Manjos et al., describes a one-piece card display holder and protector having a transparent, recessed front panel and a transparent, second panel having a projecting surface, the two panels being connected together along a common hinge line. A card is held within the space defined by the recess of the front panel and the projecting surface of the second panel. However, since the edges and corners of the card engage the edges and corners of the recessed area, insufficient protection may be provided to prevent the corners of the card from being damaged when the card is removed from or placed within the recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,439, to Smith, reveals a display holder including interlocking matrix and grid units defining multiple tray-like display areas. However, the rounded corners of the display areas provide no protection against damage to the corners of cards displayed therein. Moreover, although the cards can be individually inserted or removed through notches in the matrix unit, such insertion or removal requires bending of the cards and thus can damage the cards, especially the corners thereof.